How Does Our Garden Grow?

Although we're planning to relandscape it this summer, I do have a bit of a crush on our backyard.

California poppies and red clover Mr. W planted between his grape vines.

I love it for its serenity. I love it for its sounds of chirping and buzzing. I love its breezes and patches of filtered sun. But most of all I love it because it holds our garden. There is truly nothing better than being able to walk out your back door and come inside with the fixings for a salad.

The first time I ever gardened with Mr. W, I was appalled at the level of precision he used. We didn't just carve out a space and throw down some seeds. We graded the dirt so it was level. We mixed bone meal and manure into the existing soil. We set up irrigation lines. It was intense. But oh how it paid off...

These are the best artichokes I've ever tasted. They're almost sweet.
Grilled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and oregano—they're amazing.

We're very hopeful the family of skunks we discovered last week
in the backyard doesn't come feast on our baby strawberries.

Mr. W's old roommate grew corn a couple summers ago.
It was delicious but apparently when you only grow a few stalks,
you have to hand pollinate all of them. Anxious to see how ours turns out.

Practice for the mini vineyard we hope to own someday.

I didn't know that flowers had sexes, but apparently the zucchini
produces male and female flowers. The males fall off until a female
one is produced. We're still waiting for our baby girl to arrive...

In the summer, we try to get all the figs before the squirrels do.
And then Mr. W likes to do things like douse them in balsamic reduction
sauce or stuff them with goat cheese.

Hopefully the changes we make this summer will turn my backyard crush into a full-blown love affair. Until then, I'll keep enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of our labors.